Abdelwahid Aboud Mackaye
Abdelwahid Aboud Mackaye | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953 Near Oum Hadjer, Batha, Chad |
| Occupation | Rebel commander |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Known for | Leadership in Chadian rebel groups including CDR, FUC, UFDD, and UFDD-F |
Abdelwahid Aboud Mackaye (born 1953) is a Chadian rebel commander actively engaged in attempts to depose President Idriss Déby. He began his militant career with the Democratic Revolutionary Council (CDR) during Chad’s initial civil war and later held a government post under Déby before joining the insurgency in 2003. Initially affiliated with the FUC, he subsequently became part of the UFDD and established the UFDD-Fundamental faction in 2007, which took part in the unsuccessful February 2008 assault on N'Djamena.
A member of the Missiria Arab community, Abdelwahid was born near Oum Hadjer in the Batha area. He fought as a CDR combatant during the 1980 second battle of N'Djamena, a conflict between President Goukouni Oueddei and Defense Minister Hissène Habré, where he sustained injuries resulting in a lifelong limp. Subsequently, he transitioned into civil service, serving as a subprefect under Déby’s administration.
In 2003, Abdelwahid defected from government service to join the rebellion, becoming secretary-general of the insurgent group Forces for the Instauration of Democracy and Freedom (FIDEL). Following FIDEL’s merger with other factions, he emerged as a leader within the United Front for Democratic Change (FUC), which was formed in December 2005 under Mahamat Nour Abdelkerim.
On January 19, 2006, Abdelwahid was detained in Khartoum after granting an interview in which he confirmed amicable relations between FUC and Sudan’s government—a claim President Déby had accused Sudan of backing rebel forces. Sudan refuted these allegations, and Abdelwahid was released shortly thereafter. His arrest sparked condemnation from human rights organizations.
In April 2006, alongside Nour, Abdelwahid helped orchestrate an offensive against N'Djamena that ultimately failed. During this period, Déby arrested General Ahmat Fadoul Makaye—Deputy Chief of Staff and Abdelwahid’s cousin—but he was subsequently exonerated and freed. Both Makaye and Issa Moussa Tamboulé were later dismissed from FUC’s political bureau amid suspicions of collaboration with Déby’s regime. Amid escalating factional disputes, Abdelwahid leveraged his influence to oust Nour from leadership.
Following these developments, Abdelwahid and dissenters from FUC joined forces with Acheikh ibn Oumar’s Democratic Revolutionary Council (CDR) and Mahamat Nouri’s Union of Forces for Progress and Democracy (UFPD) to create the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD) on October 22.
In April 2007, internal strife within UFDD resulted in Acheikh ibn Oumar’s expulsion by Nouri, who then solidified his authority over the Gorane ethnic constituency within UFDD. Thereafter, Abdelwahid departed UFDD alongside Acheikh to establish the Arab-majority Union of Forces for Democracy and Development-Fundamental (UFDD-F) in May, reportedly comprising around 500 fighters.
Abdelwahid took part in Libya-mediated negotiations held in Tripoli between the Chadian government and four rebel groups including UFDD-F. At the opening session on June 23, he underscored demands for constitutional reforms. On October 3, a power-sharing agreement was signed aiming to integrate rebel forces into Chad’s military; Abdelwahid described this accord as “definitive,” contrasting with other leaders who regarded it as temporary. A subsequent agreement on October 25 outlined plans for disarmament and political inclusion of rebels.
However, by November 26 these agreements unraveled, leading to renewed hostilities. Under pressure from Sudanese authorities, Abdelwahid reconciled with Nouri and Timane Erdimi in December to establish a Unified Military Command. He reported that his bases located in Sudan were subjected to two air strikes by Chad’s air force during late December and early January 2008.
By late January, these rebel commanders had assembled approximately 3,000 troops for a major offensive aimed at capturing N'Djamena but suffered a defeat with heavy losses that forced their withdrawal.